1At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them
3and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.4Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,a it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

7“Woe to the world for temptations to sin!b For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!8And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.9And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hellc of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.d12What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?13And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.14So it is not the will of mye Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

15“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.16But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.18Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosedf in heaven.19Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.20For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

21Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.g24When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.h25And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.26So the servanti fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’27And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.28But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,j and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’29So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’30He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.31When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.32Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.33And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’34And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,k until he should pay all his debt.35So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Footnotes:a6 Greek causes… to stumble; also verses 8, 9b7 Greek stumbling blocksc9 Greek Gehennad10 Some manuscripts add verse 11: For the Son of Man came to save the loste14 Some manuscripts yourf18 Or shall have been bound… shall have been loosedg23 Greek bondservants; also verses 28, 31h24 A talent was a monetary unit worth about twenty years’ wages for a laboreri26 Greek bondservant; also verses 27, 28, 29, 32, 33j28 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborerk34 Greek torturers

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.